Garden of Allah. Coconut Grove. Brown Derby, Luau. These were the hottest spots and the most notable during Hollywood's Golden Age, from the 1930s to the 1960s. Anyone who has dined at these glamorous venues, or has ever dreamed of dining at one of them, will be thrilled with the “Out with the Stars” exhibit, opening Saturday at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. The exhibit showcases star restaurants of the 20th century in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, as well as many others, and includes a special room dedicated to the Hollywood Canteen during World War II.
Most of these atmospheric spots are gone now, save for a few old favorites like Musso & Frank, Tam O'Shanter, and the Smokehouse. But in the days before social media and TMZ, a stint in Hollywood's swanky nightspots was the best way to advance a career, explains Darin Barnes, the entertainment manager who helped organize the exhibit. Aspiring starlets could mingle with studio executives and get photo ops for the morning and evening papers while eating stuffed siskin at Sardi's and sipping Zombies at Don the Beachcomber.
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Though the Brown Derby is famously known as the filming location for I Love Lucy, many of these restaurants were owned by celebrities, including the short-lived 1937 Clara Bow's It Café on Vine Street, with its impeccable Art Deco branding, which is on display.
Angie Schneider, the museum's director, who is based in the historic Lasky DeMille Barn across from the Hollywood Bowl, is working to enhance the program with exhibits featuring rare items from entertainment collectors, such as the recent MGM 100th Anniversary Showcase.
One room at Out with the Stars is devoted to the extensive collection from the Hollywood Canteen, an integrated club that welcomed servicemen on their way to or returning from duty. Stars such as Bob Hope, Bette Davis and John Garfield were just a few of the 3,000 celebrity volunteers who helped boost morale during World War II. The exhibit includes autographed postcards as well as memorabilia, photographs and treasures from the 1944 film “Hollywood Canteen.”
Highlights include colorful, art deco graphic menus and ephemera from historic eateries such as Clara Bow's It Café, Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Café, Sardi's, Ciro's, Perino's and the Pig 'n' Whistle. There's also an exhibit dedicated to Don Dickerman's Pirate's Den, a wild 1940s-themed nightclub that featured big names like Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Errol Flynn, Rudy Vallee, Fred McMurray and Hope. Rare photographs showcase the outlandish venue where female patrons were abducted and held in prison cells, where mock battles were held to see who could scream the loudest, which would be highly inappropriate by today's standards.
Other exhibits include table settings from the stars' home entertainment, address books and menus, lavish capes and items from “Exotic” singer Ima Sumac, a tiki bar display and a concession section from the studio. El Chorro's original neon sign is on display, as is the Brown Derby coffee shop sign on Vine Street, although the familiar Derby-style sign itself is not on display because it was too tall to fit inside the museum's doors, Burns explains.
The exhibition opens Saturday with a party featuring vintage music and runs through Labor Day.
(Pictured above: Cesar Romero dining with friends at the Brown Derby.)
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